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USA Swimming CEO Chuck Wielgus publicly apologized to sexual abuse victims for the first time since the scandal came to light four years ago.
“I’m sorry,” he said to open the statement. “These are powerful words some people have wanted to hear from me for a long time. I have been criticized in blogs, and most recently in the petition opposing International Swimming Hall of Fame induction, for not apologizing for not having done more to prevent sexual abuse by coaches.”
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“Today marks 25 years since the moment when I first jumped into a swimming pool,†the 30-year-old recalled.
“At some point you need to leave the stage,†she added, assuring that this time it was for good, having changed her mind on the matter in the past.
Jedrzejczak’s extraordinary career saw her win gold in the 200m Butterfly at the Athens Olympics (2004), and gold in the same discipline at the 2003 and 2005 Long Course World Championships.
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Shelby Jane Hardebeck was a sixth grader at Peach Plains Middle School when she got sick and passed away. Her parents started the I Swim for Shelby Jane Hardebeck Annual Technical Swim Camp in her memory, holding a swim-a-thon to help raise money for the project.
After hearing about the swim-a-thon, former MSU student and Spartan swimmer Sam Schulze got inspired to run a program, also in Shelby’s memory. It’s a free competitive swim clinic for kids who already know how to swim. The event is Saturday, June 14, for ages ten and under and Sunday, June 15, for ages 11 and up. It runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days at the Grand Haven High School Aquatics Center.
Read for instance SwimmingWorld and Bleacher Report
Former Olympic swimming champion Amy Van Dyken-Rouen is recovering following surgery to stabilize her spine after it was severed during an all-terrain vehicle accident in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Friday, according to Jeff Metcalfe of azcentral.com.
The 41-year-old six-time Olympic gold medalist told emergency personnel she had no feeling in her legs or toes, per The Associated Press, which reported that she severed her spine (via ESPN.com). Fortunately, she is said to be in good condition despite the seriousness of her injury and the circumstances of the accident.
According to a letter from the Van Dyken-Rouen families, she severed her spine at the T11 vertebrae, which came just a few millimeters from potentially rupturing her aorta.
The injury occurred when Van Dyken-Rouen struck a curb while riding the ATV in a parking lot outside of a restaurant. The impact sent her over a five- to seven-foot drop-off, according to a police report, and she was not wearing a helmet at the time.
http://youtu.be/qEZ3PeTytJw
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Olympic champion Stephanie Rice has opened up about the difficulties of transitioning to “normal life” after her success.
In the wake of separate and complex difficulties being faced by Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett and Geoff Huegill, Rice said “it’s been really sad to see a lot of the others, the boys in particular, going through a rough time.
The 25-year-old admitted she had “struggled†at times since winning three gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, until announcing her retirement from the pool earlier this year.
“It was all a really big challenge,†Rice said, becoming emotional during her interview. “Everything happened at one time and I definitely struggled. It hasn’t all been ‘easy breezy’ and I’ve just been smiling every day. There have been some really tough times.â€
Read The Australian
Ongoing shoulder problems have forced veteran swimmer Eamon Sullivan to pull out of next month’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Matt Abood will replace the former 50m and 100m freestyle world record holder in Australia’s 59-strong swimming team.
“It is very disappointing that I am having to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games team,†said Sullivan.
“This wasn’t an easy decision, but it has been made with the longevity of my career in mind, and with Rio as my ultimate goal.
See CBS Local
Love this! A bikini brand that believes “sexy curves go beyond a size four†recreated the Sports Illustratedswim suit cover with plus-sized models, E! Onlinereports. Robyn Lawley, Jada Sezer, Shareefa J, and fashion blogger Gabi Gregg are featured in the stunning photo, which will appear in Swimsuits For All new calendar. You can even get it for FREE on their website!
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Five time Olympic Medalist Ian Crocker has done a lot in his swimming career. Today though he draws crowds in a different capacity, speaking at schools and holding swim clinics across the country. His most recent was held because of a third grade girl who decided to shoot for the stars and actually caught one.
10-year-old Isabella Bazata’s teacher asked her class to do a project researching a famous Mainer. When Isabella chose to do five time OIympic medalist in swimming, Ian Crocker, she went above and beyond what the assignment called for to try to bring Crocker to Maine to speak at her school.
“We tried Linkedin, Facebook some more times, like a bunch of other places,” said Isabella.
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